(WSVN) - South Florida experienced severe weather on Friday as heavy rain and gusty winds rumbled through parts of Miami-Dade, and conditions only worsened after the sun went down.
Friday night, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier and mainland Monroe counties until 3 a.m. on Saturday, as the conditions are present for twisters to occur.
A tornado warning was later issued for a small portion of coastal Miami-Dade. It has since been allowed to expire.
Hours earlier, 7News’ Stormtracker showed one round of rain moved through the region from the Gulf of Mexico, with most of the heavy activity already moved offshore and a second round is expected on Friday night.
As of 9 p.m., heavy rain was moving across the Florida Keys and through Southwest Florida with sporadic thunderstorms through the area.
A flood advisory is in place for parts of Miami-Dade County along Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, Downtown Miami, and Coral Gables until 1 a.m. on Saturday.
Another flood advisory for places like Surfside, Little River, North Miami is in place until 12:45 a.m.
A flash flood warning was in place for Miami Beach until 10:45 p.m.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials urge drivers to remain off the roads due to the severe weather. Motorists who have to be on the road are advised to drive with caution and keep a distance between vehicles.
7News cameras captured the wheels of some cars submerged in the water as the rain went on into the night. Restaurants placed sandbags at their entrances to prevent water from coming in.
People walking out of restaurants had to take off their shoes to walk through flooded areas. Some places across the Miami Beach area had ankle-deep floods.
“These are pretty new shoes, so we decided not to waste them,” said one person.
Stubborn Seed, a restaurant located along the 100 block of Washington Avenue, had to close for the night and cancel reservations because water was entering the business.
People who spoke to 7News said the flooding occurred fast.
Diners said they walked into Stubborn Seed at 8 p.m., and when they left the restaurant at 9 p.m., they were met with area flooding.
Cameras captured a few guys walking home on foot as the floods caught them by surprise.
“We were just at dinner and sort of got caught up in this mini storm,” said the man.
“Was it not flooded when you got to dinner?” said 7News’ reporter Samantha Sosa.
“Yeah, it was absolutely normal,” said the man.
“It was just raining and then you came out to this?” said Sosa.
“Yes, it was less than one hour, I would say,” said the man.
The storm created traffic in downtown Miami near the Adrienne Arsht Center.
Meantime, over at the Health District, the visibility was tough for drivers in the area, as lightning lit up the night sky.
The forecast expects Miami-Dade and Broward to see two to four inches of rain through Saturday evening. Strong winds are expected through Saturday at 8 p.m. Some places could see wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.
In Broward County, a street flood advisory was issued from Fort Lauderdale all the way south to Hallandale Beach until 10:30 p.m.
7News cameras in Hollywood captured minimal rain and flooding in the area. City officials said they have their water pumps ready to move any of the flooding water if necessary, but have not needed to use them as of 10 p.m.
As for the Florida Keys, the area is expected to receive three to five inches of rain through Saturday evening.
As of 10 p.m., moderate to very heavy rain was still being monitored across the Keys.
The Old Dominion concert in the Florida Keys scheduled for Friday night was moved to a double show on Sunday, organizers announced on X. Tickets valid for Friday can be used for the Sunday show.
All of South Florida is under a flood watch and a wind advisory.
As for total rainfall, North Key Largo reported over four inches of rain in the past 24 hours. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport set a new record with over two inches of rain in the past 24 hours.
The forecast for Saturday is for downpours in the morning. Some lingering rain will stick around for the rest of the day.
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